Nutella Stuffed Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have, over the years, made tons of chocolate chip cookies. It used to be, I was a strict adherent to the Nestle Tollhouse cookies, and, really if you want a delicious and uncomplicated chocolate chip cookie, go with that one. (Just use better chocolate chips.)

But recently, I have learned the magic of browned butter in cookies. I don't know who started this idea, but whoever it was was a brilliant person. The browned butter adds a complex nutty flavor. And, what isn't made better with Nutella? These are a bit more complicated to make than basic cookies, and your hands get super messy, but they are totally worth it.

You know you want to eat these.

Nutella Stuffed Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from The Ambitious Kitchen
makes 3 dozen cookies

1 c (2 sticks) butter
1 1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c white sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 c flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces chocolate chips; I use Ghiardelli milk chocolate chips
1 jar of Nutella, refrigerated until hard (you won't use the whole jar)
Course ground sea salt for sprinkling on top

Melt butter on stove, and watch it foam. Twirl the pan and watch the bottom start to turn brown. Remove from the heat when it is copper colored and put in the bottom of your mixing bowl. It is very important to remove the butter from the pan as it will keep cooking and burn. Allow to cool for about fifteen minutes. Mix in both sugars until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Add dry ingredients and mix. Add in chocolate chips.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Using a large spoon, measure approximately 1 tablespoon of batter and form into a ball. Then flatten between the palms of your hand so you have a disk. Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of Nutella into the disk, then pull the sides up to reform the ball. Repeat for all cookies.

Bake at 350 for ten minutes. They are going to come out of the oven looking a little raw, but you're not going to take them off of the tray right away, so they'll continue to cook. Sprinkle with sea salt immediately after taking them out of the oven.

Chocolate Cream Pie Brownies

While Bess writes up careful, healthy, frugal recipes, the things I have fun with are bonkers awesome baked goods. And so I'm starting off with a Not Your Grandma's Kitchen recipe, for bad ass amazingly decadant brownies.

Chocolate. Pudding. Whipped Cream. This took two trips to the grocery store (the first time, they were out of cocoa powder), it was an all day cooking adventure with a nap in the middle and made so many dishes. But each step is easy, brownies are easy, the pudding part in the middle was easy, and whipped cream is simple. The layers compliment each other well, getting progressively lighter and sweeter.


My rules for brownies are simple: use good ingredients. Get good chocolate, get at least decent butter. I used Ghiardelli chocolate for these and Cabot butter. If you use egg yolks? Save the whites, make meringues later, unless you get yolk in them. And always, always, add extra vanilla extract; measure it out, dump more in.

These are special occasion brownies, or at least lazy Saturday brownies.

Chocolate Cream Pie Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies:

2 sticks butter, melted

2 cups white sugar

2 cups cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs
1 cup flour

Pudding:
2 tablespoons butter
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (or chips, if you want)
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups milk

Whipped cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brownies

Preheat oven to 325, and line a 13x9 baking pan with tin foil.

Mix sugar, cocoa powder, and salt into melted butter. Stir until combined. This gets a bit stiff, but you're about to add more liquid. Add the vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing each one in until it's well combined before adding the next one. Add flour, stir. Pour into pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.

Let the brownies cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge.

Pudding

Break up chocolate and butter, set aside.

In medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and sugar. Gradually whisk in half a cup of whipping cream. Whisk in the egg yolks, then the remaining whipping cream and milk. While whisking constantly, heat over medium while it thickens. Boil it for a minute, then remove from heat, and whisk in broken chocolate and utter.

Strain into a bowl. This step is important, if you skip it, you might get coddled egg yolk in your pudding, and that would just be gross. Then pour over the brownies, cover in saran wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Whipped Cream

Pour whipped cream in mixer, whip for a bit, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Stop when it reaches soft peaks. Spread gently over brownies and pudding.

Yields: well, really however many decadent brownies you feel like cutting this into; it's a 13x9 pan, you can figure it out. Keep it in the fridge, it's full of whipped cream and semi-cooked eggs.